The Sea Rooms
A family business spanning five generations, Kelly’s Resort in Rosslare, Co. Wexford is a renowned holiday destination that stands the test of time. Every year during the winter season, owners Bill Kelly and his daughters Laura and Grace explore how they can improve their guests’ experience even more, either by adding new or by upgrading existing amenities. The Sea Rooms, a stand-alone shoreside contemporary restaurant in the hotel’s lush gardens, is the hotel’s latest addition, erected with the help of LUCA Architects and Reynaers Aluminium.
A contemporary tribute to family tradition
“We wanted to create an exceptional indoor/outdoor dining experience for our guests all year round,” explains Bill Kelly. “The concept is very much focused on the views of the Irish Sea and our exquisite gardens while showcasing produce from our own Kelly’s Kitchen Gardens. The name is a tribute to the hotel’s origin, “The Tea Rooms”, opened by my great-grandfather William J. Kelly in 1895.”
With the help of LUCA Architects, Bill and his daughters designed a modern building which makes the most of the sunny seaside location. The restaurant is a stand-alone two-storey building with a glass structure, sea views on the garden level, a sunken lower section opening onto a terrace and a custom outdoor barbecue kitchen, ideal for the summer months. Construction started during the COVID-19 pandemic, which implied some logistical challenges. The Sea Rooms officially opened in summer 2023, with cutting-edge young chef Chris Fullam at the helm.
The highest quality and craftsmanship
When it came to constructing The Sea Rooms, the owners quickly decided only the highest-quality materials and craftsmanship would suffice. As a full glass structure overlooking Rosslare beach and the Irish Sea, subject to coastal weather conditions all year long, The Sea Rooms demanded a solution that was both technically sophisticated and visually seamless. That is why LUCA Architects turned to Reynaers Aluminium for support.
Catherine Crowe and Lucy Rainey of LUCA Architects: “The Sea Rooms project placed glazing at the heart of its design, both internally and externally. For us, Reynaers Aluminium was the natural choice due to its superior performance, design aesthetic, and adaptable functionality. We employed a range of their systems to suit the specific requirements of each part of the building.”
On the top level, a minimalist curtain wall system was needed to elegantly frame the sweeping sea and garden views, while also meeting high standards for thermal and visual comfort. ConceptWall 50 ticked all the right boxes. Reynaers Aluminium’s flagship stick façade solution offers versatility in design and passive house energy efficiency. The restaurant building also features ConceptWall’s roof vent variant for additional ventilation.
Across all levels, Reynaers Aluminium delivered precisely what was needed – and exceeded expectations.
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Catherine Crowe and Lucy Rainey, LUCA Architects
Transparency and durability
The Sea Rooms’ transparent nature is further enhanced through SlimLine 38 High Insulation windows and doors. These steel-look joinery systems combine minimal sightlines and maximal performance, a perfect match for this sunny yet windy restaurant location.
Finally, on the lower level of the building, ConceptPatio 155 Lift-Slide systems provide large expanses of glass and maintain a sleek look. They are easy to operate and durable enough to withstand the demands of a high-traffic restaurant environment. Bill Kelly confirms: “One of our favourite features is the way the structure opens to the patio area, creating an almost invisible boundary between inside and out. The sleek aluminium profiles allowed for minimal sightlines without compromising strength, making the glass elements feel light and elegant - just as we had envisioned.”
Bill Kelly and his daughters Laura and Grace, proud owners of the Kelly's Hotel and The Sea Rooms restaurant.
Together towards the perfect result
“Recommended to us for their outstanding product range and finish quality, Reynaers Aluminium proved to be the perfect partner for such a distinctive build” says Bill Kelly. “The project required precision engineering to accommodate large spans of uninterrupted glass, bespoke shapes, and discreet yet robust openings—all while meeting our high sustainability and thermal efficiency standards. There were certainly challenges along the way. But the collaboration between our team, LUCA Architects, and Reynaers Aluminium was consistently professional and solution-driven.”
Alan Cunningham, Sales and Technical Director at Reynaers Aluminium Ireland, concurs: “The biggest challenge we faced in this project was the extremely tight schedule. During the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chains were in disarray, with lead times severely extended. Luckily, we were able to collaborate with our Supply Chain colleagues to ensure that all materials arrived on time as required, a wonderful example of teamwork across the different departments.”
We supported the fabricator Curran Aluminium to ensure the systems were correctly specified to meet the coastal location’s challenging demands.
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Alan Cunningham, Reynaers Aluminium Ireland
The power of sustainable partnerships
The restaurant was completed just in time for the peak summer season, much to the delight of Bill, Laura and Grace. “The end result speaks for itself. Looking back, this project was not only an architectural achievement, but also a testament to what can be done when passionate stakeholders and innovative partners like Reynaers Aluminium come together with a shared vision. We could not be more pleased with the result.”
